Industrial complexes often require a variety of parameters to be measured and analyzed. This promotes safety, security, efficiency, and a number of other desirable features. The more efficiently the parameters are measured, the more efficient the complex operates, generally.
Many complexes are distributed over vast distances. Many locations that require monitoring have limited access to power and communications infrastructure. In many applications, monitoring systems must be inexpensive to be cost effective. Hence, for these and other reasons, it is desirable to have inexpensive field sensors and a cost effective network of such sensors.